Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme

Fikri Kulakoğlu; Elif Genç; Güzel Öztürk; Ryoichi Kontani

doi:10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019

Fikri Kulakoğlu^¹, Elif Genç^², Güzel Öztürk^³, Ryoichi Kontani^⁴

¹Ankara Üniversitesi, Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi, Arkeoloji Bölümü, Protohistorya ve Önasya Arkeolojisi Anabilim Dalı, Ankara/TÜRKİYE https://ror.org/01wntqw50
²Çukurova Üniversitesi, Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi, Arkeoloji Bölümü, Protohistorya ve Önasya Arkeolojisi Anabilim Dalı, Adana/TÜRKİYE https://ror.org/05wxkj555
³Balıkesir Üniversitesi, Mimari Restorasyon Programı, Balıkesir/TÜRKİYE https://ror.org/02tv7db43
⁴Notre Dame Seishin University, Okayama/JAPONYA https://ror.org/04t4jzh38

Keywords: Kültepe-Kanesh, Central Anatolia, Early Bronze Age, 3^rd millennium BC, Settlement Layout, Ditch.

Abstract

Kültepe (ancient Kanesh) is situated on a fertile plain irrigated by the Sarımsaklı Stream, extending north of Mount Erciyes and located 20 km northeast of Kayseri city center. The settlement, consisting of two main sectors –the Kanesh Mound and the Lower City– is approximately 2.5 km in diameter. With these dimensions, it stands as one of the largest Bronze Age cities not only in Anatolia but also in the ancient Near East. Systematic excavations conducted at Kültepe-Kanesh since 1948 have yielded unique artifacts and led to significant archaeological discoveries. Its central and strategic position at the intersection of natural and historical routes established it as one of the most powerful urban centers in Anatolia during the first quarter of the 2^nd millennium BC –the period known as the Assyrian Trade Colonies Age. This advantageous location undoubtedly played a decisive role in the city’s transformation into an international center of trade and art between Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Syria, throughout both the 2^nd the 3^rd millennia BC. Previous research on the Early Bronze Age has focused on the central part of the mound where monumental public buildings are located; however, the spatial extent of the residential area and the existence of private dwellings remain unanswered questions. In order to address these issues, a series of excavations have been conducted on the northern and western slopes of the mound in recent years. This study focuses on the western slope excavations and analyzes the extent of the Early Bronze Age settlement and city’s urban development in light of the 2020-2021 excavation seasons.

Ethics Committee Approval

It is declared that scientific and ethical principles were complied with during the preparation of this study and all the works referred are mentioned in the bibliography.

Complaints
hoyuk@ttk.gov.tr

Review

This article has been reviewed by at least two reviewers using a double blind peer review model. A similarity check was performed to confirm that it was free of plagiarism.

Use of Artificial Intelligence
No artificial intelligence-based tools or applications were used in the preparation of this study. The entire content of the manuscript was produced by the authors in accordance with scientific research methods and academic ethical principles.

Author Contributions

Çalışmanın Tasarlanması/Planning of the Study: Yazar/Author-1 (%40) - Yazar/Author-2 (%40) - Yazar/Author-3 (%0) - Yazar/Author-4 (%20)
Veri Toplanması/Collecting Data: Yazar/Author-1 (%40) - Yazar/Author-2 (%40) - Yazar/Author-3 (%0) - Yazar/Author-4 (%20)
Veri Analizi/Data Analysis: Yazar/Author-1 (%40) - Yazar/Author-2 (%40) - Yazar/Author-3 (%5) - Yazar/Author-4 (%15)
Makalenin Yazımı/Writing the Article: Yazar/Author-1 (%40) - Yazar/Author-2 (%40) - Yazar/Author-3 (%0) - Yazar/Author-4 (%20)
Makale Gönderimi ve Revizyonu/ Submission of the Article and Revisions: Yazar/Author-1 (%40) - Yazar/Author-2 (%50) - Yazar/Author-3 (%0) -Yazar/Author-4 (%10)

Conflict of Interest

The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest.

License
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC).

Acknowledgments

The excavations at Kültepe were conducted with the permission and financial support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. The project was further funded by the Turkish Historical Society, the Deanery of the Faculty of Languages, History and Geography at Ankara University, the Deanery of the Faculty of Science and Letters at Çukurova University, the Governorship of Kayseri, and the Metropolitan Municipality of Kayseri. We extend our sincere gratitude to all these institutions for their invaluable support.

BibTex	`@article{ hoyuk140, doi = {10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019}, author = {Fikri Kulakoğlu, Elif Genç, Güzel Öztürk, Ryoichi Kontani}, title = {Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme}, journal = {Höyük}, year = {2026}, number = {}, pages = {19-42}, publisher = {Türk Tarih Kurumu} }`
RIS	`TY - JOUR AU - Fikri Kulakoğlu, Elif Genç, Güzel Öztürk, Ryoichi Kontani PY - 2026 TI - Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme SP - 19 EP - 42 JO - Höyük J2 - Höyük IS - PB - DO - 10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019 ER -`
EndNote	`%0 Journal Article %A Fikri Kulakoğlu, Elif Genç, Güzel Öztürk, Ryoichi Kontani %T Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme %J Höyük %D 2026 %N %P 19-42 %R 10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019`
APA	Fikri Kulakoğlu, Elif Genç, Güzel Öztürk, Ryoichi Kontani (2026). Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme. Höyük, (), 19-42. doi:10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019
MLA	Fikri Kulakoğlu, Elif Genç, Güzel Öztürk, Ryoichi Kontani. "Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme" Höyük, no. , 2026, pp. 19-42. doi:10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019.
Chicago	Fikri Kulakoğlu, Elif Genç, Güzel Öztürk, Ryoichi Kontani. "Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme" Höyük no. (2026): 19-42. https://doi.org/10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019.
AMA	Fikri Kulakoğlu, Elif Genç, Güzel Öztürk, Ryoichi Kontani. Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme. Höyük. 2026; (): 19-42. doi:10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019.
Vancouver	Fikri Kulakoğlu, Elif Genç, Güzel Öztürk, Ryoichi Kontani. Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme. Höyük. 2026; (): 19-42. doi:10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019
ISNAD	Fikri Kulakoğlu, Elif Genç, Güzel Öztürk, Ryoichi Kontani. "Erken Tunç Çağı’nda Kültepe-Kaniş Yerleşiminin Batı Sınırı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme". Höyük (2026): 19-42. https://doi.org/10.37879/hoyuk.2026.1.019.

An Assessment on the Western Boundary of the Early Bronze Age Settlement of Kültepe

Abstract

Kaynak Göster